The decrees, issued under Article 100 (1)(d) of the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, 2011 (as amended), give the President authority to appoint and relieve government officials.
In the latest reshuffle, Kiir appointed Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol as the new Deputy Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs. Koang, who was dismissed last week as Governor of Upper Nile State, now returns to the national government to fill a vacant position in the ministry.
Another major change saw the removal of Deng Alor Kuol as Minister of East African Community Affairs. He has been replaced by Beny Gideon Mabior, who previously served as the ministry’s Undersecretary before being relieved earlier this year.
At the security level, the President promoted Brig. Gen. Valentino Baak Makuei to the rank of Major General and named him the new Commander of the elite Tiger Division—the unit responsible for protecting the presidency. Makuei replaces Maj. Gen. Philip Nyon Nyon, who has been elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General within the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF).
In addition to government and military appointments, President Kiir also reconstituted the Board of Directors of the Bank of South Sudan, extending the terms of some members while bringing in new faces.
Dr. Benjamin Gabriel Apai joins the board as a non-executive member, replacing Dr. Adil Atanasio, whose five-year term expired. Dr. John Dor Majok was appointed to succeed Wichieu Long Babut following the end of his four-year term. The terms of Wani Mbuyu Dor and Dr. Tabita Kenyi were extended for three and two years, respectively.
The latest reshuffles reflect yet another attempt by Kiir to consolidate power. Observers have previously criticized the president for regularly suspending and appointing senior government officials – some barely finished a year in office.
This, civil society activists like CEPO’s Edmund Yakani, argued that is a driving force weakening institutions as officials are not given sufficient times to implemented their intended reform plans.
The changes, according to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), also violated certain components of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
Puok Both Baluang, the Acting Press Secretary in the Office of the First Vice President said the deputy defense ministerial position to which Lt. Gen. James Koang Chuol was appointed, was allocated to the SPLM-IO under the agreement.
“President Salva Kiir has once again unilaterally and unlawfully decided to grab a position allocated to the SPLM/A (IO),” he wrote on Monday.
“He accomplished this by appointing a “war-monger” from his own party, Gen. James Koang Chuol Ranley, the recently sacked Governor of Upper Nile State — a position that Kiir had also previously grabbed from the SPLM/A (IO) — as Deputy Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs,” Baluang added.
